Billionaire Todd Wagner Launches Charity Network

Posted on: 14th March 2016

In a world full of strife, it's a relief to know there are some people who are eager to give back. Todd Wagner, who become a billionaire at the age of 38 after he and his partner, billionaire Mark Cuban, sold Internet start-up Broadcast.com to Yahoo for billions in 1999, become a professional philanthropist a year later.

In 2000, he founded a company to fund charities for underprivileged children. However, over the last two years he has been running three online fundraising platforms. This month, Wagner announced the launch of the Charity Network—the largest coalition of digital fundraising platforms ever.

The Charity Network will include all three of Wagner's current platforms; Chideo (founded in 2014), Charitybuzz, and Prizeo (acquired in 2015). These are part of his ongoing mission to update and make public the space for charitable giving.

It works like this. Chideo, Charitybuzz, and Prizeo will continue to serve as consumer-facing platforms. However, the Charity Network will serve as the parent company, and oversee topline strategy for fundraising campaigns.

Because these foundations are working together towards a common goal, the Charity Network will become the go-to for brands, celebrities, and non-profits launching fundraising and awareness campaigns.

Fortunately, each platform is already an established leader in its own field; Charitybuzz in online charity auctions, Prizeo in competitions and experiences, and Chideo in cause and entertainment. Now these three fundraising juggernauts are working together, they offer an unparalleled and interchangeable 'menu' of resources to raise money and awareness for charities around the world.

“It’s time to disrupt traditional fundraising models and the launch of the Charity Network highlights our approach to moving charity from analogue to digital," says Wagner.

“I’m thrilled that Chideo, Charitybuzz, and Prizeo will now work together to build the most comprehensive and strategic campaigns possible. As a Network, we are excited to harness the power of celebrity, technology, and media to raise awareness and funds for some of the world’s toughest challenges.”

The Charity Network has acquired a contingent of very generous and exciting partners, including Sinclair Broadcasting Group, Tribune Company, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Delta and Virgin America Airlines, Twitter, Facebook, and a many others. This will enable the network and its campaigns to stretch across a diverse group of global donors, from millennials to baby boomers, both online and on-air.

Combining the three platforms gives Wagner an unprecedented opportunity to bring together some of the greatest minds in the digital charity landscape to form a new consulting team called CN Solutions. This team of experts collaborates on the full range of Charity Network offerings, creating a complete solution matching the client’s needs. Now that's what we call a worthy cause!